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. 2025 Apr;16(4):100391.
doi: 10.1016/j.advnut.2025.100391. Epub 2025 Feb 14.

Seafood and Neurocognitive Development in Children: A Systematic Review

Lauren E O'Connor  1 , Maureen K Spill  2 , Sanjoy Saha  1 , Arin Balalian  1 , Julie S Davis  1 , Amanda J MacFarlane  3
Affiliations

Seafood and Neurocognitive Development in Children: A Systematic Review

Lauren E O'Connor et al. Adv Nutr. 2025 Apr.

Abstract

Seafood is a source of essential nutrients to support neurocognitive development of children and adolescents, but there are concerns about contaminant exposure. Assessing seafood as a food group, rather than a source of nutrients or contaminants, can inform future dietary guidance. This study aimed to update and assess relationships between seafood consumption during childhood and adolescence and neurocognitive development. Three electronic databases were searched until September 2024 to update a previous search from 2000 to 2019. Articles were included if associations were assessed between seafood intake during childhood and adolescence and neurocognitive development outcomes (cognitive development, social-emotional and behavioral development, movement/physical development, language/communication development, depression, anxiety, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, and autism spectrum disorder). All articles were screened at title, abstract, and full-text levels by 2 independent analysts. Data were extracted by 1 analyst, quality checked by a second analyst, and synthesized narratively by 2 analysts independently, considering direction, magnitude, and statistical significance of results for each outcome; discrepancies were resolved via discussion. Risk of bias was assessed using ROBINS-E and ROB 2.0. Certainty of evidence was assessed with Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation (GRADE). Eighteen articles from 5 short-term (12-16 wk) RCTs conducted in Northern Europe and 9 prospective cohort studies conducted in various countries were included. The evidence suggested a relationship between higher seafood consumption and improved cognitive development outcomes for children and adolescents aged 0-18 y old (GRADE: low). This conclusion was informed by 5 short-term RCTs in which children aged 10 mo to 15 y were provided fatty fish compared with meat, poultry, or fish oil supplements. These RCTs were largely supported by results from 5 longer-term prospective cohort studies. Evidence was inconsistent for social-emotional and behavioral development outcomes and was lacking for other outcomes. Seafood consumption within current recommended intake amounts consumed mainly as fatty fish likely improves cognitive development outcomes in children and adolescents. This review was registered at PROSPERO as CRD42023432844.

Keywords: developmental disorders; fatty fish; fish; infants and toddlers; shellfish; ω-3 fatty acids.

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Conflict of interest statement

Conflict of interest AJM reports financial support was provided by National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. LEO reports funding grants from Beef Checkoff and, as a previous employee of the USDA and the NIH, has previous and ongoing projects funded by the Beef Checkoff, National Cancer Institute, and National Institute for Food and Agriculture for research unrelated to this work. AJM and MS were consultants for the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine committee on the Role of Seafood in Child Growth and Development. All other authors report no conflicts of interest.

Figures

FIGURE 1
FIGURE 1
Summary of conclusions for relationship between seafood intake during childhood and adolescence and neurocognitive development outcomes. Behavior includes social-emotional and behavioral development. Certainty of evidence is further described in Table 3.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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